Existing comment:
The Family
1936
oil on canvas
Minneapolis Institute of Art, Gift of Noma and William Copley
Tamayo frequently portrayed figures with very dark skin, as in the grouping seen here. His depiction was not always literal. Dark brown skin could signify a subject's implied mestizo or indigenous identity. Nonetheless, Tamayo was likely aware of Afro-Mexicans, and was familiar with African Americans, since his close friend, caricaturist Miguel Covarrubias was deeply immersed in New York's Harlem cultural scene. The Family may relate to Tamayo's exposure to African Americans, even if the painting's ambiguous elements -- the circular toy hanging in the sky, a bird perched on the roof, and the expressionless faces of the three figures -- make it difficult to place culturally or geographically. |